Children frequently have an abnormal condition characterized by fluid in the middle ear cleft. A myringotomy or tympanostomy with placement of a ventilation or pressure equalization tube is a surgical operation performed on the ear drum to drain the fluid and ventilate the middle ear for a longer period than would be possible with only an incision of the ear drum as spontaneous drum closure occurs in a week or two after the incision of the ear drum: a result of standard repair processes of an incised ear drum. During a myringotomy and tube placement, as conventionally performed, an ear knife cuts the ear drum and creates an incision. Complications of this procedure are inadvertant laceration of the external ear canal as the knife moves towards or away from the drum and creation of a drum incision which is either too short or too long. Then a ventilation tube is inserted through the incision and manipulated to remain seated in the incision, thereby providing a duct or channel for draining fluid from the middle ear and ventilating the middle ear space via the external auditory canal.
During insertion down into the external auditory canal and placement in the tympanic membrane, the ventilation tube is held by a special grasping forceps. Because the ventilation tube is so tiny and the ear drum so delicate, a myringotomy and tube placement is an especially sensitive operation and gives rise to considerable challenges to a surgeon's dexterity and patience.